Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:943] 2nd Discussion Summary
From: Brent Muirhead (bmuirhead@email.uophx.edu)
Date: Mon 22 Jan 2001 - 08:11:14 MET
From: "Brent Muirhead" <bmuirhead@email.uophx.edu> Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:943] 2nd Discussion Summary Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 02:11:14 -0500
Greetings IFETS Colleagues! I am sharing my 2nd discussion summary for
"Practical Strategies for Teaching Computer-Mediated Classes."
January 18, 2001
Brent Muirhead briefly mentioned Randall E. Stross' article in the January
15, 2001 issue of U.S. News & World Reports. Stross' article was titled "The
New Mailbox U.----Discarding standards in pursuit of a buck." He attacks the
University of Phoenix and other online schools for being developed as
for-profit business operations. Stross makes a bold assumption about the
future of online education. "The embrace of Web economics and the triumph of
quantity over quality will lead administrators, soon enough, to wonder why
they should bother with human adjuncts to serve as online proctors. They
will be tempted to make a college education wholly self-directed and be done
with it."
Brent stresses that the article plays on a variety of fear-based themes
involving the interaction of technology and the business world. He assumes
that the business community will greatly diminish the quality of online
education while eliminating the need for traditional schools and teachers.
Unfortunately, the author appears to stress negative educational scenarios
without having any reliable information about the online institutions that
he freely attacks in his article.
January 20, 2001
Diane Ehlrich shares from her professional experience as a am a professor at
Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Diane teaches two web-enhanced
courses and states that she is "currently researching the characteristics
that that need to be in place to make the transition to a web-based course.
At present, we still see meeting two or three times face to face where
possible."
Diane relates agreement with Dr. Muirhead's comments and "those of others
who identify the specificity needed to guide on-line discussion." She cites
our IFETS list serv as an excellent model for setting up a discussion that
allows people to reflect and make comments that stimulate lively dialog.
Diane notes that "I also create specific `tasks' for students to do or
issues for them to solve and find that is also fairly effective. I am
currently using a webboard for discussion in the advanced instructional
design class I teach and find that students are reluctant to participate at
first. Then they seem to make on-connected comments and then they `grow into
' a dialogue."
Diane observes that the class requires her to help organize the discussion
and guide it which is similar to a traditional class. She states that
gradually the discussion is taking on a life of its own. The class is
project based and I am trying to create a virtual team as student's work
together to solve problems and although it doesn't always work, I do think
it does need risk takers to start it off. There also seems to be a fine line
when I enter the discussion of wanting to direct their comments to me, so I
tend to "lurk" more than contribute. I do feel that it is necessary to
carefully craft each topic and engage students (almost like a TV program
where they want to "tune in" so they can catch up)."
Brent Muirhead addressed Diane Ehrlich comment that "the class is project
based and I am trying to create a virtual team as students work together to
solve problems and although it doesn't always work, I do think it does need
risk takers to start it off. There also seems to be a fine line when I enter
the
discussion of wanting to direct their comments to me, so I tend to `lurk'
more than contribute."
Brent affirms the need to have students who are "risk takers" to help get
the class involved in a new project or assignment. Teachers (such as Diane)
who are "lurkers" during their classes indicates a commitment to
student-centered model of adult education that encourages students to be
self-directed and independent learners.
Brent relates that his online classes are often filled with students who are
new to virtual education. As a teacher, he tries to establish enough
guidelines to help student feel secure but challenged in their new learning
environment. He strives to create learning situations that will stretch
them. For instance, Brent will assign a major group project (ex. argument
paper on social issues) and the students are given a week to complete it.
The group assignments do create some stress for students due to time
restraints and having to work with a diversity of individuals and learning
styles. Yet, it has produced many academic benefits such as humanizing the
online experience by sharing with others and learning how students manage
their educational experiences. In fact, students will freely share learning
tips with their group members which enriches the whole class.
Brent did share a resource for those who want additional information on
online teaching, he help edit chapter 3 of the book Online Tutoring e-Book.
Chapter 3 is called "Building an Online Community." It is available at
http://otis.scotcit.ac.uk/onlinebook/
January 22, 2001
Bill Eckersley has have found the current IFETS dialog "to be informative
and very helpful in promoting discussion on the facilitation of online
forums." He is responsible for teaching an online course called Leading
and Managing Change. The course is part of the Postgraduate Studies in
Leadership and Management program at RMIT University in Melbourne,
Australia. http://edulead.eu.rmit.edu.au/
Bill notes that the "program is offered to both on and off-shore students
and a key feature of each of the courses offered is an online conference
site. All participating students are required to contribute to the
asynchronous conference site using their personal/professional experience
and readings to frame their comments."
Bill states that he has "used many of the strategies that Dr. Muirhead
described in stimulating online discussions. I have found a number of my
students have delayed their first contributions until they have read others.
I have emphasized the importance of students reading and reacting to each
others contributions and at the same time forcing myself to remain in the
background in order to encourage student-to student dialogue."
Brent Muirhead D.Min; Ph.D.
University of Phoenix Online
bmuirhead@email.uophx.edu
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